Winter driving tips to keep you and your family safe

NORTH TEXAS (CBSDFW.COM) — Winter weather is expected to have a big impact on North Texas roads this week, and CBS 11 wanted to share some tips to keep you and your family safe.

AAA Texas encourages drivers to delay trips when bad weather is expected, but if you’re driving on the highway, you must let others know your intended route, destination, and estimated time of arrival.

Here are a few simple steps to take to prepare your car for bad weather driving:

• Wash your windshield inside and out at least once a week.
• Keep your windshield and rear defrosters in good working order.
• Keep your wiper blades clean
• Remove all snow and ice from vehicle windows, roof, hood, trunk lid and any other covered surfaces.
• Use an ice scraper to remove snow and ice from the windshield and all windows, including side and rear windows.

Drivers should also be mindful of the importance of tire maintenance, which is critical to maintaining grip on wet roads.

Check out these tire safety tips:

• Inflate the tires to the correct pressure after checking the air pressure when the tires are cool. Low tire pressure results in poor handling and braking, lower fuel consumption and excessive wear.
• Check tread depth. An easy way to tell if a tire is worn is to place an inverted quarter (not a penny) into the tire tread. If you can see the top of George’s head, it’s time to change the tire.
• Change tires regularly. Ideally, change tires every 5,000 miles.
• Check tires periodically for uneven tread/wear and replace tires as needed.
• Find out the age of the tire. As a tire ages, its rubber becomes hard and brittle, losing elasticity and strength.
• Check your trunk. Today, an increasing number of new vehicles come with tire inflation kits instead of spare tires; some vehicles are equipped with run-flat tires and do not have a spare tire. Check which option your vehicle has. If he has a spare tire, make sure it’s properly inflated.
• Do not overload your vehicle. The combination of under-inflated tires and an overloaded vehicle is one of the most dangerous conditions as tires can overheat and possibly fail.

Once on the road, drivers should make sure their headlights are on, slow down and leave enough room to stop. There should be at least three times more space between you and the vehicle in front of you than usual. To avoid skidding, slow down gently when you need to stop. Drivers should never use cruise control on a wet, snowy or icy road.

Before entering the road, drivers should be aware of possible icy roads they will be driving on and be especially careful on bridges and viaducts. Be careful on rarely visited roads that may not be cleared as often as other roads.

If you must pull off the road, wait for a safe opportunity and pull off the road as far as possible. It is best to drive to work, to a recreation area or to a parking lot, and not to the side of the road.

Some traffic situations require quick action to avoid an accident, and the decision to turn or brake can have very different results.

When traveling over 25 mph, AAA Texas recommends managing the braking to avoid a collision in winter conditions because it takes less distance to go around an object than it takes to brake to a complete stop.

On slippery roads, sudden braking can cause you to lose control of your vehicle. Braking on slippery surfaces requires you to look farther ahead and increase your tracking and braking distances. Plan your stopping distance as early as possible and always look ahead 20-30 seconds to make sure you have the time and space to stop safely.

And there is also a terrible skid – do you enter it or not?

When the vehicle begins to skid, it is important not to panic and continue to look and steer in the direction you want the vehicle to go. Try not to apply the brakes, as this will further upset the vehicle’s balance and make it difficult to steer.

Keep an eye on the weather this week on CBS 11 or CBS News Dallas-Fort Worth.